1969 Buick Riviera

[Guest Blakem1028]

Is a 69 Riviera, white with black vinyl top, white interior with front bench seat a special order? This was my car in 1978 and I cannot find this type of car anywhere. Need some help.

[John_S_in_Penna]

Blake, it sounds like a normal 1969 Riviera to me.

There were so many possible combinations of options,

and about 15 paint colors, so Buicks could be made to

suit just about every individual's taste.

 

Sometimes people misstate the terms "order" and

"special order."  Quite a number of cars were ordered

by the owner, though the dealer, from the factory:  one 

specified what he wanted and waited about 8 weeks for

his car to be made to order.  Your car may have been

ordered from the factory to get the combination you describe.

 

On the other hand, a "special order" goes outside of what

was normally available.  These are much less often seen,

though not normally more valuable.  A buyer could likely

specify a special paint color that wasn't on the color charts,

such as a color from several years ago.  If one had connections

with the car executives, or pressed the dealership to get something

special, he might be able to get things that

were not supposed to be available.  For example, I heard of a

1960's Ford station wagon with a manual transmission, whereas

normal production did not offer such a possibility on wagons.  In that case,

the dealership told the buyer that that was "not available," but

he persisted and  carried his demand to a higher level where it was approved. 

Edited November 20, 2017 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[joe_padavano]

I've found that many people today try to incorrectly use the term "special order" to mean "not bought off the lot". I suspect this is yet another attempt to try to artifically inflate value, like sellers who tout unpopular body styles as "rare". Custom selecting regular options to tailor your new car was the normal way to buy cars in the 1960s. There's a reason why they were called REGULAR Production Options (RPO).

[Guest Blakem1028]

This was actually my parents car (mom) and I was only10 when they bought it. I worked and bought it from them when I turned15. I see a lot of white with black vinyl, but never see the same interior! It was crank windows, so no electric. This makes me think it wasn't special ordered. Would just like to find my first. Loved it! Thanks for your information.

[John_S_in_Penna]

A friend of mine had a 1969 Riviera, Blake, and I think

they are beautiful cars.

 

Rivieras offered a standard interior and also a more deluxe interior.

The two upholstery patterns were different;  and each of those

came in at least a few different colors.  Also, they probably offered

a choice of seating patterns for the front seat, too:  Bench seat,

bucket seats, etc.  So you can see how many possibilities a buyer had!

 

I think you'll find that Rivieras with crank-up windows are harder to find.

If you want a Riviera to relive some memories, I'd recommend just

getting one as close as possible to what you had.  Or, get one with nearly the

same interior as you had, and spend the money to repaint the car white,

if you are really determined.

 

All the best to you in your search!